Q&A · 1:29:28-1:33:00

How many destroyers would the major navies need?

Major navies need hundreds of destroyers, but American and Soviet politics could produce dangerous shortfalls relative to fleet size.

Question

How many destroyers would the major navies have in this no-World-War-II scenario?

Short answer

Hundreds overall, but exact totals are unknowable and the United States and Soviet Union could remain short because their politics favor larger prestige ships.

Notes

An exact destroyer total would be false precision in an unknowable timeline. Major navies need hundreds overall because old American flush-deckers and British V- and W-class ships still require replacement while new escort and fleet roles multiply. The United States may under-order them because the Senate treats destroyers as ships that can be produced after an emergency begins. Stalin's preference for visible capital ships could create a similar imbalance in the Soviet program. Those political choices leave nominally powerful battle fleets short of the escorts needed to screen and sustain them.